Combined feed tray and moistening device for duplicating machines



Ian. 9, 1951 F. R. FQRD COMBINED FEED TRAY AND MOISTENING DEVICE FOR DUPLICATING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 9, 1947 O .INVEN'IQFQ M M Loz'z; BY H IS ATTORNEY.

Jan. 9, 1951 F. R. FORD 2,537,125

. COMBINED FEED TRAY AND MOISTENING V DEVICE F OR DUPLICATING MACHINES Filed April 9, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 rv F'\6.,3. r 7

l I .I W I I II I I v x l\ I g; 2 I 7 Ma 1 FIGS.

I 'INvENToFz H is ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 9, 1951 COMBINED FEED TRAY AND MOISTENING DEVICE FOR DUPLICATING MACHINES Frank Ronald Ford, Birmingham, England Application April 9, 1947, Serial No. 740,443 In Great Britain November 16, 1945 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires November 16, 1965 2 Claims. (01. 101-1325) This invention relates to duplicating machines of the general class in which a copy sheet and a master sheet bearing in reversed script the matter to be reproduced are passed in pressure contact between a cylinder to which the master sheet is clamped and a pressure roller, the copy sheet being moistened before being brought into contact with the master sheet.

The object of the present invention is to provide certain improvements in this class of machine, one part of the invention being applicable to machines of the type in which the copy sheets are slidden into the machine from a feed tray and moistened by being brought into contact with a suitable moistening device.

With such machines it is a known practice to make the feed tray slidably detachable from the machine, its lateral edges being provided with tongues or flanges adapted to rest in or onguides formed internally of the side frames of the machine. In my prior U. S. A. Patent No. 2,399,176, issued April 30, 1946, I have proposed retaining the feed tray in position by means of pins passed through registering holes in the tongues or flanges and in the guides.

One part of the present invention is concerned with means whereby the feed tray may be more quickly secured in position, and consists in pro.- viding at each side of the tray a spring-controlled detent which when the tray is pushed into position rides past and engages behind an inturned flange or equivalent abutment on the adjacent side frame of the machine.

A further feature of the preesnt invention is to construct the feed tray and moistening appliance, including the tank for holding the moisten-- ing liquid, as a single unit, these parts being connected by a rigid plate which forms the top of the tray and carries the tank on its underside and the support for the moistening pad on its upper side.

Another part of the invention concerns an improved construction of the feed tray itself, and consists in arranging such tray as the top of a box having its front end open and serving as a container for copy sheets to be used in the machines.

The floor of this box may be suitably dimensioned to support foolscap sheets in a flat condition, and at a higher level there may be arranged one or more shelves on which quarto and/or other sizes of sheets may be supported.

Another part of the present invention is concerned with moistening devices for duplicating machines suchas the one described in my prior operable heads and whose lower ends engage I tapped holes in the pad carrier plate.

This part of the present invention is directed to facilitating the reconnection of the pad carrier to itssupporting plate after removal therefrom, and consists in replacing the screwthreaded securingmeans aforesaid by spring-loaded plungers carried either by the rigid plate or the pad carrier, and each provided with a manually-operable head at one end, the other end of the plunger being of T OILL shape and cooperating with an elongated hole in the coacting member.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

'Figure 1 is a view in side elevation partly in section;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective View;

Figure 3 is a plan view; and

Figures 4 and 5 are sectional views upon the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

In the construction illustrated the invention is shown applied to a machine such as that described in the prior specifications referred to, and having two side plates ID connected in spaced relationship by bolts or ties I Between the side plates is mounted the cylinder 12 for carrying the master sheet, and below the cylinder [2 is the pressure roller I3 adapted to press the moistened copy sheet against the master sheet on the cylinder. The pressure roller [3 is pressed towards the periphery of the cylinder I2 by means of springs in the known way, the pressure of which springs can be adjusted. The cylinder is provided with a shaft I 4 which is operable by a crank handle 15, or alternatively the operating handle may be applied to a lay shaft which is geared to the cylinder shaft.

Referring particularly to Figures 1 and 2, the tray it, over which the copy sheets are fed, is formed by a horizontal plate secured to a boxlike structure I 1 having side plates 1 8 and a front plate IS. The plate [6 is slotted, as shown at 20, and secured to the underside of the forwardlyprojecting portion of the plate I6 is a tank 2| which contains the moistening liquid. At each end this tank is provided with an upwardly-proconsists of an angle-section plate .to which is secured a strip 26 having elongated openings 21. These elongated openings are engaged by T heads 28 of pins 29 which operate in openings in the plate 23. Each of these pins 29 is provided with a head 30 having a lever handle 3|, and each head is provided with a cavity containing a spring 32. 29 by means of grub screws 33, and the arrangement is such that normally the pressure of the springs 32 causes the heads 28 to clamp the pad holder to the underside of the plate 23, but the pins 28 can be turned on their own centres by means of the levers 3! to bring the heads 28 into line with the elongated openings 27, thus allowing the moistenin'g pad holder to be readily removed from the moistening appliance (see Figure 5).

The box-like structure formed by the plates l6, l8 and i9 is intended to be used for holding copy sheets, and a shelf 3% may be provided within this structure having an end plate 35, this shelf being intended to support quarto-size sheets. Belowthe shelf on the base of the-structure foolscap-size sheets may be stored.

The top plate 15 is provided with an opening 36 to allow of access to a screw plug 3'] forming a closure for the filler opening of the tank. At their top edges the plates [3 are provided with angle-section strips 45 which engage over the edges of the plate 16.

The unit comprising the tray 15, the box-like structure I! and the moistening appliance is supported on its own feet Bi, and at the opposite end it is supported by providing the side plates l9 of the machine with horizontal grooves in which slide the edges of the forward parts of the plate It.

Each of the side plates IS on its inner side carries a detent 38 pivoted at 39 and havinga latch shaped nose Ml adapted to engage over a horizontal pin 4|, these pins being carried by the side plates 18 of the machine. Each of the detents 38 is acted upon by a tension spring 42, and each detent further is provided with a laterallyprojecting knob 43 extending through an arcuat slot as in the side plate l8, so that the detents The heads 30 are locked to the pinsa Number 4 can readily be released from the pins 4| for removing the unit.

I claim:

1. In a duplicator a combined feed tray and moistening device for copy sheets comprising a plate forming a feed tray, a receptacle secured to the underside of said plate for moistening liquid, said plate having openings, upwardly projecting tubular portions on said receptacle, said tubular portions projecting through said opening, a-slotted plate secured to the upper ends of said tubular portions, said plate being disposed above said tray, the underside of said slotted plate forming a seating for an absorbent pad, an absorbentpad clamped against said seating, an angle section carrier plate for supporting said pad, one limb of said carrier plate engaging one edge of said slotted plate, and the other limb of said carrier plate engaging the underside of said absorbent pad, a metal strip secured in the angle of said carrier plate, said strip and said other limb having elongated openings, spring loaded plungers mounted to slide and turn in openings in said slotted plates, said plungers having T heads at their lower ends, lever heads on said plunger-s to ermit them to be turned, and a wick in said tubular portions for feeding liquid from the receptacle to the moistening pad.

2. A moistening device for a duplicator comrising a slotted plate, the underside of said slotted plate forming a seating for an absorbent pad, an absorbent pad clamped against said seating, an angle section carrier plate for supporting said pad, and the other limb of said carrier plate engaging the underside of said absorbent pad, a metal stri secured in the angle of said carrier plate, said strip and said other limb having elongated openings, spring loaded plungers mounted to slide and turn in openings in said slotted plates, said plungers having T heads at their lower ends, and lever heads on said plungers to permit them to be turned.

FRANK RONALD FORD.

REFERENCES CITED Thefollowing references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Prihgle Sept. 7, 193? Hana'uer Oct. 12, 1937 Wimmer June '18, 1940 Berman Sept. 24-, 1940 Kropp Oct. 28, 1941 Gilbert Mar. 31, 1942 Marchev June 30, 1942 Pratt et a1 July 6, 1948 

